Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Upgraded to “Buy” at StockNews.com

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Friday.

Stepan Trading Down 2.5 %

Shares of SCL stock traded down $1.58 on Friday, hitting $61.08. The company had a trading volume of 83,097 shares, compared to its average volume of 127,656. The firm has a market cap of $1.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.39 and a beta of 0.84. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $66.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $72.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.27. Stepan has a twelve month low of $59.70 and a twelve month high of $94.76.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stepan

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of Stepan by 177.6% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 44,790 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,460,000 after buying an additional 28,655 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Stepan by 19.8% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 142,790 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $11,031,000 after purchasing an additional 23,626 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Stepan by 1.0% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 486,976 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $37,626,000 after purchasing an additional 4,777 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its stake in Stepan by 1.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,195,187 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $92,328,000 after purchasing an additional 17,530 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Stepan by 110.6% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 457 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

About Stepan

Stepan Company, together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells specialty and intermediate chemicals to other manufacturers for use in various end products worldwide. It operates through three segments: Surfactants, Polymers, and Specialty Products. The Surfactants segment offers surfactants that are used in consumer and industrial cleaning and disinfection products, including detergents for washing clothes, dishes, carpets, and floors and walls, as well as shampoos and body washes; and other applications, such as fabric softeners, germicidal quaternary compounds, disinfectants, and lubricating ingredients.